I think in the end it was everything you would expect from a first game. One issue is the way the exhibitions unfolded I think many UNC fans, myself included, kind of expected something akin to beating a high school team. Then again they did win by 22 points and scored 103 in the process. All in all it was clearly a first game. This is a team that is loaded at every position but also it is a work in progress. I think there is a tendency to forget that UNC has a boatload of young players who are getting their first taste of college basketball action. I also think that any team UNC sees opposite them will put forth their best effort. That is what we saw tonight in a UNC team still working out the kinks and trying to mesh so many new and old parts together in an effort to form a cohesive unit. This will take time and a lot of trial and error. Sacred Heart stayed close to UNC through the first half. By the second half UNC's talent took over and they pulled away. In a lot of aways it had the same feels as a 1st round NCAA Tournament game where a low seed hangs tough with the high seed before dropping back and losing by a significant margin.
As for the offense UNC depended on Tyler Hansbrough(29 pts) and Reyshawn Terry(19 pts) for the bulk of the offense with freshmen Wayne Ellington and Brandan Wright scoring 10 apiece. Wes Miller continued his spot up sharp shooting from the arc draining three 3-pointers. Ty Lawson also had 10 points. UNC shot 58% from the floor, hit 42% of their three point shots and out rebounded Sacred Heart 39-34. The free throw shooting was a bit off at 60% something that could be a larger concern if it persists. Defensively speaking UNC held Sacred Heart to 43% shooting but gave up 12 threes on 37% shooting by the Pioneers from beyond the arc. UNC forced 12 turnovers, a smaller number than one would expect from the pressure defense. All things considered it was a good effort on both ends of the court with plenty of room for employment.
Additional Notes
- Nine Heels reached double figures in minutes played which was expected since it is impossible to play more than 9-10 without hurting the production of your best players.
- The starting lineup was: PG Bobby Frasor, SG Wayne Ellington, SF Reyshawn Terry, PF Brandan Wright, C Tyler Hansbrough
- Ty Lawson ended up playing a minute more than Frasor, presumably at the point.
- Assists were widely distributed among a handful of players with Frasor, Miller, and Wright dishing out four and Lawson with three.
- UNC only committed twelve turnovers, Terry has three of those.
- UNC hit 103 points well above the stated goal of 90+ per game.